


Guardians of Azeroth

by Qentaro



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-20 14:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30006618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qentaro/pseuds/Qentaro
Summary: Fate brings Yael, Mara, Ro and Neeve together. And when an attempt is made on the King's life, they embark on an adventurous journey across Azeroth to catch the culprit.
Relationships: Anduin Wrynn/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

A warm breeze blew through the streets of Stormwind and the sun, shining from a cloudless sky, created a relaxed mood among the inhabitants and guests.

From the forest of Elwynn, through the Valley of Heroes, a Night Elf huntress and a female Worgen death knight entered the city. The elf on her feline nightsaber, the Worgen, in sync with her wolf nature, on all fours.

When they reached the inner city, the female Worgen assumed her human form and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. The Elf also dismounted from her night saber, and shortly thereafter stabled her mount in one of the city's stables.

A short time later, both of them were standing in front of the inn "The Gilded Rose".

"We would have arrived in Stormwind significantly faster if we had taken the griffins from Lakeshire, Ro," the Elf grumbled, opening her purse to take a quick survey of its sparse contents. "Now we can't take another ship to Teldrassil until tomorrow."

"Flying makes me sick, Neeve," grumbled the addressed woman from beneath her hood, then pressed a few gold pieces into her traveling companion's hand.

"I'll pay for the night's lodging."

"A death knight who gets sick flying, "Neeve smirked, with a grin. "You'd have to see that to believe it."

With those words, she entered the inn, and Ro followed her silently.

  


A slight breeze blew through the open window of the room Yael was currently using for her studies in the Cathedral of Light. She was considered one of the best priests and experienced healers from Stormwind, but the difficult situation of the people in neighboring Westfall and the frustrating feeling of being able to do little or nothing for them had brought her back to the cathedral, where she was now trying to find a way for improvement. Yael had even requested an audience with King Anduin Wrynn, perhaps to convince the young king of more support for Westfall and its people.

Startled, the young priestess snapped out of her thoughts as a tray with a selection of bread and toppings of sausage and cheese was placed on the table in front of her. Along with a pitcher of fresh apple juice and two mugs.

"I know you," began the night elf warrior who had brought in the food and now sat down across from Yael. "When you're wrapped up in a problem, you forget about everything else, even eating. And you've already skipped lunch." She smirked. "Otherwise, if your audience is granted today, I'll have to carry you there. How would that look?"

Yael had to laugh. "Don't get carried away, Mara," she replied with a slight shake of her head. "But thanks anyway for thinking of me. I am indeed a bit hungry by now. "

With that, she reached out and they both began to eat. As they finished pouring themselves some more of the apple juice, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in! " Yael called out, slightly irritated. The door to the room was opened and a Night Elf huntress entered the room, closely followed by a female death knight. You could not see the face of the death knight under the hood, but her armor and also the typical two-handed rune sword on her back, were unmistakable. 

Slightly irritated, the priestess stood up from her chair. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Mara had also stood up and put a hand on the hilt of her sword.

Neeve sighed inwardly and raised her hands slightly in reassurance. It was as always, death knights were as popular as athlete's foot since regaining their free will and their resulting return to the world of the living.

"Take it easy," the huntress tried to soothe. "We're only here because we need first aid supplies to take with us, and unfortunately there was no one to be found at the usual distribution point."

Yael nodded and held out her hand in greeting.

"I am Priestess Yael," she introduced herself. "Wait here a moment, and I'll get you the materials you need." Neeve shook the hand offered to her.

"My name is Neeve," she replied, then pointed to her friend, "and her name is Ro." Ro nodded briefly to the other two women.

"Mara, "Mara also introduced herself briefly as Yael left the room, eyeing Ro with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

"How did you two meet?" she finally wanted to know.

"Ro was a stray, "Neeve grinned, which earned her a heavy punch of a fist against her shoulder.

"Ouch," the huntress laughed, then turned serious again. "I was in the Searing Gorge on a bounty hunt," she began to explain. "Unfortunately, my clue led to an ambush and if Ro hadn't shown up, I probably wouldn't still be standing here."

Yael returned and handed Neeve a bag of the requested materials, which she paid for with a few gold pieces.

"Thank you," the huntress thanked her, but when Ro opened the door to the room, a messenger stood before her, startled, taking a few steps back.

"Priestess Yael," the messenger stammered, looking helplessly at the priestess. "The king would see you now."

"Wonderful," Yael replied, pushing past the female death knight to follow the messenger. Mara followed her friend, and Neeve started moving as well.

"When do you ever get a chance to meet the king," she said to Ro, which only earned her an uncomprehending shake of the head in response.

So the small group followed the messenger to Stormwind Castle. There they were led into the small park of the library.

King Anduin Wrynn sat on a bench, engrossed in the study of a document. Some of his palace guards stood around him at a respectful distance to ensure his safety. When he caught sight of the women, he got up from the bench, left the document there, and walked toward the group.

"Yael," Anduin greeted the priestess with a brief hug. "It has been a long time since we have seen each other."

"Since the coronation your majesty," Yael replied respectfully. The young king sighed. "I guess I'll never get used to this formality," he replied, then glanced at the other three women. "Before we talk about your request, why don't you introduce me to your escort?"

Yael complied with the request and introduced each woman by name. Last to go was Ro.

"Which was your homeland, Ro," Anduin wanted to know as he stood before her.

"Gilneas," replied the one addressed. "Another lifetime ago, your majesty." The young king nodded.

But suddenly, from one moment to the next, Ro turned into a Worgen with a loud growl, pushed herself between the surprised king and the entrance to the park, and raised her right hand. For a moment, it looked like she was reaching into nothingness.

"Stinking Forsaken scum," the female Worgen hissed through bared teeth as a dagger materialized in her left shoulder. In a shimmering greenish mist that reeked of decay, a zombie-like Forsaken suddenly became visible, writhing in Ro's grip.

"Hail, the Forsaken," he gasped as the dark magic of the death knight decomposed him.

Meanwhile the palace guards had grouped around Anduin with their shields and swords raised to protect him from further attacks, and Mara and Neeve also held sword and shield respectively bow and arrow ready for battle.

"Ro, stop," the huntress hissed to her friend, but when Ro lowered her hand, all that was left of the attacker was a pile of bones and a stinking shred of clothing.


	2. Chapter 2

"A rogue," Yael muttered, who had her priest's staff in hand, but seemed caught completely off guard by the attack. The priestess flinched briefly as Anduin placed a hand on her shoulder. He had stepped up to her when it became clear that there would be no further attack.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"It shouldn't be your job to worry about me, your majesty " Yael replied contritely. She walked up to the remains of the attacker and stared down at them as she reattached her staff to her back.

"Don't blame yourself," Mara tried to build her friend up. "You're just not used to the fight."

"And that's supposed to calm me down now?!" Yael roared, but immediately calmed down again. "You're right. I'm not a fighter, but that's no excuse. What if it hadn't been for Ro? This is unforgivable."

"It all worked out, after all," Neeve finally spoke up as she pulled the dagger from Ro's shoulder and then dropped it to the ground. "No need to tear yourself apart."

As Ro turned herself back into her human form, Anduin stepped toward her.

"It looks like I owe you my life. Do you need medical attention?"

Ro shook her head, but before she could say anything back, Mathias Shaw, the commander of SI:7, the intelligence agency, came rushing into the park.

"Your Majesty, I was just informed," he began, slightly out of breath. "There were no concrete indications of this crime, but we will get to work on the investigation immediately."

"That would be the least you could do," the king replied in a stern tone. "If you have not been able to distinguish the truth from the rumors."

Yael looked at Anduin in surprise. He had known about a possible attempt on his life before this?

"Do not worry, your majesty," Mathias Shaw assured him. "We will have the person who's responsible apprehended in no time."

"Where did the rumors come from?" Neeve wanted to know, as Master Shaw was already taking his leave. The agent looked at her unwillingly, but the expression on King's face left no doubt that he had to answer the question.

"The agents in Ironforge first brought it to our attention," he finally explained. "But a more precise report has been lacking until now."

"Then I guess it's off to Ironforge," the night elf huntress decided.

I'll go with you," Mara agreed immediately, and Ro nodded in agreement. Yael hesitated briefly, but then gave her consent. Master Shaw seemed less than thrilled that anyone would interfere with his work, but he was again overruled by the king.

"Let's see what they can find out," he suggested. "Sometimes a few new approaches aren't such a bad way to deal with a problem." Mathias Shaw nodded in resignation.

"As you wish, your majesty." Then he turned to the women. "When you are in Ironforge, contact Molforn Steelbrew, he will help you further".

With that, he took his leave and disappeared. And Anduin Wrynn also prepared to leave. He took back the document he had left on the bench and then turned to the women once more.

"I wish you good luck and a safe journey. Hopefully you will return with good news. It's a pity that our conversation took a completely different turn than intended, but we will definitely make up for it."

With that, the king, followed by his guards, left the library park and the small group was left alone. Some servants rushed over to clean up the remains of the attack.

"We'll take the deeprun tram," Ro decided unequivocally as they left the castle. Yael and Mara looked at her in wonder.

"But why do that?" Mara wanted to know. "Flying is much nicer, isn't it?"

"Flying makes me sick," Ro replied curtly, and the warrior looked at her somewhat incredulously.

"Then we'll take the deeprun tram," Yael agreed with the death knight. "The travel time is about the same anyway."

"Well then," Neeve finally agreed, clapping her hands together. "Now that we've got that settled, I suggest we pack our luggage, get the provisions we need, and meet in front of the entrance to the tram in an hour."

Since everyone agreed with this suggestion, the group separated to pack their belongings, assemble provisions, and pick up their mounts from their respective stables. After that, they met up again. Neeve and Mara on their white Nightsabers, Yael on her brown and white pied Evendale horse, and Ro, for once, on her pitch-black Death Steed.

The women were lucky that a tram stopped in the direction of Ironforge exactly when they entered the corresponding platform. They boarded the vehicle on their mounts and a short time later the tram began moving along its path underground.

"I don't mean to seem nosy," Neeve commented to Mara as they traveled. "But how did you and Yael actually meet?"

"In Westfall, "Mara replied, tickling her mount behind the ear. "Yael is helping the population there, and I was fighting Defias. That's where we ran into each other when one of their food outlets was harassed by bandits, they're really everywhere." Neeve nodded. "Yeah, really annoying contemporaries."

Silence reigned for a while and everyone was left to their own thoughts until Yael decided to find out more about the death knight. On the one hand, she found her creepy, but the priestess was also curious and simply wanted to learn more about the unusual companion.

"Why do you always keep your hood on, Ro?" she finally asked. Ro, who was standing with her horse next to the priestess, turned to her.

"The living don't like to look into the eyes of the dead," she answered her.

A slight shiver ran down Yael's spine, but since she had decided to be braver her next words were not so difficult.

"I still want to see them, your eyes, I mean."

"As you wish," Ro replied, pushing her hood back. Revealed was the ashen face of a young woman framed by medium-length black hair. Yael, however, focused only on the eyes, which seemed to flicker like small blue lights in their sockets. Something dark suddenly came at her, completely swallowing the surroundings. A screaming and whimpering began that quickly grew louder. Before the priestess could make out anything clearly, she returned to the world of the living with a pained cry. Neeve had firmly pinched her side.

"Courage does not mean following a death knight onto his battlefields," the huntress explained gravely as Ro hid her face with her hood again. "Few who dared could ever tell of it." Then she turned to her friend.

"And as for you, Ro, you know better than that. So what was that about?"

"Yael made the decision of her own free will. And she possesses a strong spirit." the death knight answered her.

Neeve sighed.

"Still. Courage and recklessness are two different things."

As if that had been the cue, the Deeprun tram stopped. They had arrived at Ironforge.

"Are you all right," Mara wanted to know from her friend as they left the tram side by side. Yael nodded, although she still looked a little pale around the nose.

"Yes, everything is fine," the priestess replied.

The small group entered the city in the mountain through the tinkering city of the gnomes, who had found refuge here with the dwarves. From there, they turned left and set out in search of Molforn Steelbrew


	3. Chapter 3

Since the districts were arranged in a circle around the mighty forge in the center, one had to know which district one wanted to visit in order to save an unnecessary way. The women's path led them to the military district, where SI:7's quarters were located.

"I'm curious to see what we learn here," Mara said as they dismounted from their mounts and entered the intelligence building.

The interior was bustling with activity and at first it seemed that no one noticed them, but then one of the dwarves present approached them.

"Sorry for the confusion," he began, introducing himself as Omos Stormforce, head of the local department. "We have a lot on our plate right now, what can I help you with?"

"We'd like to speak with Molforn Steelbrew," Neeve replied, to which the dwarf audibly inhaled.

"Believe me, we want to, too," he explained. "Only, unfortunately, he didn't show up for duty this morning and has since disappeared without a trace. At his workplace we found, in a secret compartment, a key to a safe deposit box. I was just going there."

"If you don't mind, we'd be happy to do it for you," Yael suggested, who feared that they wouldn't be able to obtain any information without taking the initiative. "We will then bring our find to you immediately."

Omos Stormforce thought for a moment, then nodded and handed the key to Yael. Neeve inquired where Molforn Steelbrew's home was, then they said goodbye and left the intelligence building. After a brief discussion, they decided that Mara and Neeve should go to the bank with the key, while Yael and Ro would go to the dwarf's dwelling.

So they mounted their mounts again and set off. First to the banking district, and second to the vicinity of the forlorn cavern.

On the way to the bank, the two night elves got to talking about their home.

"I miss my home, and even though I'm in Darnassus as often as possible visiting my mother, I always feel like I'm not there often enough," Mara told her new friend, not without a bit of wistfulness.

"Does your mother live alone?" Neeve wanted to know, and Mara nodded.

"My father is considered missing. He was always my role model and the reason I wanted to become a warrior as well. He went to aid the Gilneans against the forsaken and never returned. His name is Maris Nightbloom'' Neeve looked at her new friend admiringly.

"Your father is a legend among the night elves. I, for one, would already be happy if I knew who I really am. I was found, about three years ago, badly injured, floating in a small boat off the coast of Teldrassil without any memory except my first name. Since then, I've been hoping that maybe my memories will return someday."

"I'm really sorry about that," Mara replied regretfully as they reached the bank and dismounted from their mounts.

"Oh, come on," Neeve replied with a smile. "You'll see, one day we'll both get our answers."

Yael and Ro rode in silence at first, until the death knight abruptly began a conversation.

"I think helping others, even if you can't personally benefit from it, is a noble thing to do," Ro began, "No need to feel bad." The priestess sighed.

"It can be very frustrating at times, though. No matter what you do, wars and other skirmishes keep breaking out, there just seems to be no end to the suffering. I wish I could do more, make a difference." Abruptly, Ro stopped her horse and turned to Yael.

"Back when the Lichking threatened Azeroth, some of my people thought they could change something that was beyond their power to change. They believed allowing the Worgen Curse into the land would save Gilneas by making the people strong, but it was a fallacy. The forsaken overran our land, it was only thanks to the night elves that some Gilnean survived at all."

Both continued on their way. After some thought, the priestess nodded in understanding.

"They don't say the road to hell is paved with good intentions for nothing." she replied as they dismounted from their mounts in front of Molforn Steelbrew's house.

"You should always be aware that you can't fix everything and that you can't save everyone," Ro answered. "You should focus on doing what you can do where you can by your own strength." With that, she entered the dwarven dwelling and Yael followed.

Disappointingly, the interior offered no clues at all to the whereabouts of Molforn Steelbrew at first glance, yet the two women searched the entire home. And sure enough, Yael spotted a trail of blood on the window frame in the study that would allow conclusions about a fight.

"Well, that's certainly as far as the secret service got," the priestess turned to the death knight a little disappointed. The latter pondered for a moment, then transformed into her worgen form.

"If you ever talk about it with the others, I will vehemently deny having done it," she clarified, then she began to smell the coagulated blood, turned towards the room, drawing in the air through her nose, and after a short while moved towards the front door. Yael immediately understood what Ro was up to and followed her outside.

"Don't worry, I'll keep quiet as a grave," she assured, as Ro briefly got her bearings and then turned into the path leading to the folorn cavern. 

The forlorn cavern was actually not a district in the true sense of the word, but rather a somewhat overly wide passageway between two other districts with a small pond that was popular with anglers. Furthermore, some traveling merchants were hanging around there.

When Yael and Ro reached the cavern, the death knight stopped, only to step purposefully into the pond before Yael could stop her. Some anglers present were less than enthusiastic. Ro submerged and after what felt like an eternity, resurfaced with a dead dwarf in her arms.

Horrified, the anglers and some curious merchants scurried off in all directions. The death knight was not disturbed, waded out of the pond and placed the corpse at the feet of the priestess. The priestess had a hard time suppressing her nausea, because the dead dwarf looked really gruesome. Someone had bitten him and whole pieces were missing.

"Another Forsaken," Yael noted, with a hand over her mouth and nose. Ro nodded.

"The dwarf must have given him a run for his money if the Forsaken had to resort to this before he disappeared." The priestess shook her head in disgust.

"Thank you, I really don't need to imagine that now." Then she took a few steps away from the corpse. "Would you mind waiting here while I go for help?" Ro agreed to wait and keep an eye on Molforn Steelbrew's corpse, and so Yael made the short walk back to her mounts and then back to SI:7. She fervently hoped that Neeve and Mara found what they were looking for in the bank, otherwise they would be at a dead end clue-wise faster than she would have liked.

The two night elves entered the bank and after a short wait, Mara handed the key to a banker. The banker led them into a room with lockers, opened the locker that matched the key, took out a small box, placed it on the table in front of the women, and then discreetly withdrew.

Neeve and Mara looked more closely at the iron-forged box, the warrior even putting an ear to the surface to identify any sounds coming from inside.

"Looks like that lock-picking training with the gnomes will come in handy after all," she muttered, then straightened up. "I think I can pick the box," she then continued, rummaging in her pockets for the necessary tools. "The only problem is, I heard a low hissing sound coming from inside. It's either just the hydraulics of the locking mechanism or a plentiful venomous snake."

"For the latter, I can come up with a solution," Neeve replied, using a small spell to summon her crystal owl, which settled down next to the box. "Let me introduce you to Ishtola. If there is a snake, she will finish it off."

Mara smiled and gave the owl a quick scratch on the head, which it acknowledged with a joyful "Huh." Then the warrior turned to the box. The locking mechanism was really a tricky affair and Mara had to work quite a bit until the last latch came off with a "click". Before opening the metal box, however, Mara took her shield from her back and handed it to Neeve. The latter held it in front of the warrior and herself to protect herself from deadly flying objects from the box. Mara used her sword and pushed the lid up, and when it flipped back, the head of a poisonous snake actually shot out, off which Neeve's crystal owl made short work off. And while the owl consumed the snake, the two night elves looked at the documents inside.

"Steelbrew did seem to have an informant," Neeve discovered, flipping through some documents. "It's just too bad he doesn't mention a name anywhere. And the information is still pretty sparse, too. How about you Mara?" The other night elf looked up from the documents in her hands.

"It says here that he was going to Andorhal, in the Western Plaguelands, tomorrow. Perhaps he is already on his way? It's not a short journey after all."

"Mmmh," Neeve replied thoughtfully. "Let's pack up and see what the others have found out."

Mara nodded in agreement, and so they stowed box and documents in one of their bags, left the bank, and headed back to the intelligence quarters. Once there, Yael and Ro were already waiting for them. The latter had also dried in the meantime and had taken her human form again. They exchanged their results and also brought Omos Stormforce up to date. He was very shocked about the death of one of his best agents.

The women finally decided to travel to Andorhal and find the informant, and Omos Stormforce agreed to send a message to Stormwind for the king. So they left SI:7 for the great exit gate of Ironforge.

"I guess we'll have to fly this time, Ro," Mara turned to the death knight. "It's not exactly a short way to Andorhal, and we have to be there by tomorrow." Ro grumbled gruffly, but agreed.

"It's only as far as the chillwind camp for now, " Neeve tried to reassure her friend. "We'll stay there overnight and then fly the rest the next morning." Yael rummaged in one of her pockets and finally handed Ro a small viol. "This will help with nausea."

"Thank you," Ro replied, pocketing the viol.

Once outside Ironforge, everyone, using a special incantation, summoned their flying animal. Yael a golden-feathered gryphon, Mara a purple protodragon, Neeve a silvery wolfhawk and Ro a glowing turquoise skeleton dragon. Then it was off to chillwind camp


	4. Chapter 4

The journey led over snow-covered mountains and green valleys. Here and there, private or military branches of one faction or another could be seen. But they flew high enough not to be seen by anyone, and still low enough to see where they were going. By the time they landed at the chillwind camp, it was already beginning to dawn. The camp consisted only of a house and a public flying point, for anyone who didn't have their own flying mount or didn't want to use one. A few soldiers were also stationed, as the Western Plaguelands, polluted by this horrible curse, were not exactly known as safe.

After the women had fed their flying mounts, they paid for a place to sleep in the house. All but Ro, who not dependent on sleep, fell asleep relatively quickly. The death knight sat down outside in front of the house and listened to the sounds of the night. With a sigh, she thought of Andorhal. Actually, since she had regained her freedom, she had tried to avoid places of her past. Now, however, there seemed to be no way around it. To combat the inner turmoil that arose from time to time, Ro got up and disappeared into the surrounding countryside to hunt infested bears. She returned only when the sun rose over the horizon. Mara was already standing in front of the house, looking at the death knight a little confused.

"Where have you been?" the night elf asked as Ro cleaned herself at the well. "Was there an attack?" The female worgen just shook her head, then silently prepared to continue their flight. Neeve and Yael now emerged from the house as well.

"Don't worry about it," the huntress turned to Mara. "Ro likes to wander around at night sometimes. For one thing, she doesn't need sleep, and for another, I think she needs to get away from the living once in a while." Mara glanced again at the death knight, but she would neither confirm nor deny the claim, so everyone saddled up their flying beasts and they set off for the final part of the flight.

The flight over the Western Plaguelands was a rather bleak affair. Once known as the breadbasket of Azeroth, the ground had been contaminated by the Lich King's Scourge and had become uninhabitable, the Scourge Curse had afflicted flora and fauna alike, and all manner of monstrosities roamed the tormented land.

In the middle of it all lay Andorhal. It was a city divided in two. One half had been reconquered by the Alliance and the land largely restored, while on the other side the Horde used the legacy of the Scourge. For a long time, there had been a stalemate, except for the odd skirmish, which was probably due to the fact that a high-ranking death knight was in charge on both sides, and both put their mutual loyalty above the interests of their respective factions.

After the small group landed, Death Knight Thassarian, the general of the stationed Alliance forces, also immediately approached them from his working quarters.

"To what do I owe the honor of your visit, so far out here in the middle of nowhere?" he wanted to know after greeting the newcomers.

"We are on a mission for King Anduin Wrynn to track down those behind an attempt on his life," Yael explained to him. "The tip-off about an informant on the enemy's side brought us here. Unfortunately, the SI:7 spy paid for his work with his life and we don't know the identity of the informant. We only know that they wanted to meet here in Andorhal." Thassarian nodded in understanding.

"You're not likely to find the informant on my side of Andorhal," he finally began. "So you'll have to look on the Horde side. And that could be a dangerous undertaking. A lot of Forsaken and some other monsters have been giving us a hard time for the past few days."

"Seems like we're stuck without a clue here," Mara muttered contritely, at which point the death knight looked to Ro and she sighed.

"I'll go talk to Koltira Deathweaver," she agreed. "If anyone over there has any idea at all, it's him. And from death knight to death knight, I'm sure there won't be any problems." Neeve held her friend by the arm before she could get moving.

"You don't seriously think we're going to let you go over there alone," she said, and both Yael and Mara nodded in agreement. "Death Knight honor or not, but if the Forsaken catch you before then, they'll finish you off."

"I could start a small riot with a few men in the south of Andorhal, concentrating the Forsaken's attention there for a while," Thassarian suggested. "It would give you a fair chance to reach their headquarters. You can certainly handle a monster or two on your own." The women agreed, and so the death knight took his leave to round up the necessary soldiers for the small diversion.

Yael, Mara, Neeve, and Ro crept forward undercover once before to the border, which ran once across the city, and watched what was happening on the other side. To their great displeasure, the direct and shortest route to the Horde headquarters led directly down the main street, but they had no choice but to take this remaining risk. They didn't have to wait long, then larger groups of Forsaken and some monstrosities moved hurriedly south. Just as the women ventured out of their cover onto the main road, a panicked scream made them whirl around.

A Forsaken had grabbed one of Thassarian's civilian associates and was now holding him at bay, dagger at his throat.

"What a coincidence," sneered the undead. "There I was thinking by the death of this stubborn dwarf, who even refused to name his informant, my last chance would be gone to locate the leak for my master. And then you come." He laughed loudly. "In Ironforge I would have had no chance, but here you will do as I say if you value the lives of these young fellow. So out with it, who's the traitor?!"

Ro looked to Neeve and she nodded silently, took an arrow from her quiver, put it to the string and cocked it. She aimed it right at the Forsaken, who pulled the trembling young man even closer.

"I don't think you should even consider it," he nagged, but wasn't quite so sure anymore. With the Forsaken's attention focused on Neeve, Ro grabbed Mara and placed her back to back with Yael, who was still keeping an eye on the events before her. She then motioned for the warrior to have her sword and shield ready for battle. To the confused expression on her face, Ro replied curtly:

"A death knight doesn't gain his skills to save lives, so if I can't keep my reflexes under control, strike as hard as you can if you value your life and the lives of others." Mara gulped but then nodded. Finally, over Mara's shoulder, Ro tapped Yael on hers.

"If the man comes at you, can you hold him still and heal any injuries quickly enough?" The priestess nodded as well, without taking her eyes off the action in front of her. In response, Neeve took another step forward.

"My arrow will strike you without even grazing the man," she replied in a firm voice. The Forsaken took another step back, but before he had trailed his living shield with him, Ro extended her arm past Mara and Yael's head toward the man. The warrior heard snatches of an indefinable incantation, and suddenly the young man was snatched from the Forsaken as if by magic, landing a few seconds later in Yael's arms, who immediately set about healing a profusely bleeding wound on his neck that the dagger had, despite everything, torn. Neeve reacted quickly and struck the Forsaken down with two arrows fired in quick succession before the Forsaken knew what hit him. At the same time, Ro let out a bloodcurdling scream and reached for her sword, but before she drew it, Mara struck her with her shield, full force, across her face and chest. The death knight staggered back a step and then shook herself briefly.

"Are you all right?" the warrior asked cautiously.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Ro replied, touching her face, but everything still seemed to be in one piece.

Neeve gathered her arrows again and searched the dead Forsaken for anything useful. Unfortunately, he was carrying only a few gold coins, which she pocketed with nimble fingers.

Yael helped the man, who still seemed a bit shaken, back to his feet. There was no longer any sign of the neck wound. He thanked her effusively for saving him and then left in a hurry.

Mara shouldered her shield again and put her sword back.

"Let's not waste any more time," she urged in haste. "Who knows how long we have left."

The women were lucky the rest of the way, encountering neither more Forsaken nor any monsters, and it wasn't long at all before they finally entered the Horde headquarters in Andorhal. Everything seemed strangely quiet and so they preferred to keep their weapons ready for battle. As they entered one of the meeting rooms, casually leaning against a table, at the far end of the room, was the high elf death knight Koltira Deathweaver.

"I figured Thassarian wouldn't pick a fight with the Forsaken out of sheer boredom," he greeted the women with a smile. "He could have at least announced such pretty visitors."

"We're not here to exchange pleasantries," Neeve retorted sharply. "All we care about is who is after King Wrynn's life."

"Ah, that's what this is all about," Koltira Deathweaver pushed off from the table and approached the small group. Everyone tensed to defend themselves in seconds. "But I won't tell you what I know, in fact I should kill you on the spot," he continued, then stopped in front of the women, looking from one to the other until his gaze came to rest on Ro.

"However, since you brought me an old friend, I could imagine talking to her about this troublesome matter." Ro rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed, and stepped toward the death knight, her rune sword pointed at his chest.

"Koltira, stop stalling, we don't have all eternity!" she urged him. The high elf laughed out loud.

"You really haven't changed a bit, Ro," he smirked. "Still straight to the point." He then indicated for her to follow him as he turned toward the doors of an adjoining room.

"I will tell you, and only you, what I know. Follow me."

Ro put her sword away again, raised a hand to nip any rising protest right in the bud, and then wordlessly followed Koltira Deathweaver into the next room. The doors closed behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

"I know you're trying to stall for time," Ro began when they were alone. "Because the king's death wouldn't exactly make you unhappy. But you can't stand braggarts so you sabotaged the whole thing a little."

"Touché," Koltira replied with a grin. "But then again, what else would I expect from one of my best students than to know how to properly assess the situation. Of course, it would be a joyous event if with the death of the young king, this royal bloodline would dry up forever. Not to mention the turmoil it would cause in the Alliance. Still, I dislike braggarts, especially when they boast about deeds they haven't even performed yet. That's precisely why I took the small pleasure of dropping a few hints to the Alliance." The Death Knight suddenly became very serious and looked at Ro steadfastly.

"Let us not misunderstand each other, I'm not telling you everything I know now out of the goodness of my undead heart, but because from now on, fate is in charge. My knowledge no longer determines victory or defeat, so I can calmly explain everything to you."

Outside in the meeting room, the other three were starting to get a little nervous.

"If Ro doesn't show up right away, I'm going to go get her," Mara declared upset. "This can't possibly take that long."

"Let's wait a little longer," Yael tried to reassure the warrior. "Ro knows what she's doing, she wouldn't take any unnecessary risks." Neeve nodded in agreement as well. 

Just at that moment, the doors to the next room opened and Ro came rushing out. There was no sign of Koltira Deathweaver.

"So, what did he say?" Neeve wanted to know, but the death knight waved it off.

"Not now, we're out of time. I'll tell you all about it on the way back to the Alliance side. We have to hurry." The others felt a little queasy at these words. Were they really already too late to save the king?

So while they rushed out of the building and towards the Alliance, Ro told the others what Koltira Deathweaver had told her.

The Death Knight had met a Warlock of the Forsaken who had come to Andorhal to exchange ideas with the local apothecary about the Scourge Curse. His name was Tye Dred, an upstart from Undercity who was doing everything he could to rise in the favor of his queen, Sylvanas Windrunner. Naturally, since the Forsaken wanted to ingratiate himself with the higher-ranking death knight, he had told him of his plan to make the king of Stormwind a gift to his queen. The attack that Ro had thwarted was only meant to disguise the grandeur of the actual plan. Besides, there must be someone else in the king's entourage who was privy to the plan, otherwise Koltira's little attempts at sabotage would not have been exposed.

Everyone shivered when Ro said that the high elf was only communicative because he thought they couldn't do anything anyway. To make matters worse, their presence on the wrong side of the city was noticed by the Forsaken just before they reached Alliance Territory. Still, luck remained on their side, as Thassarian and the Alliance soldiers came to their aid.

"Thank you very much," Neeve thanked them as they were retreating. "We'd like to stay and help you, but we need to get back to Stormwind as soon as possible." The general nodded.

"Only the king is no longer in Stormwind," he clarified to the women, who then looked at him in complete bewilderment.

"But why?" Yael finally wanted to know, who prayed that her worst fears would not come true.

"A messenger came with a message from Stormwind while you were on your little excursion" Thassarian answered the priestess. "The king, along with the royal soldiers, has left for the Dark Portal. He is taking the sea route and will wait for you in Surwich until noon tomorrow."

"Damn," Mara cursed as they said goodbye to the death knight and ran to their flying mounts. "This could be damn close, after all, almost the entire continent is between us."

"Then we should fly as fast as we can," Neeve replied as they mounted up and took off as fast as they could. Ro looked back one last time before the clouds obscured everything and saw Koltira Deathweaver standing in front of his headquarters, looking up at them. 

"It would be unfortunate to lose you in this pointless rescue mission."

The female death knight shook off the memory, preferring to concentrate, like the others, on urging her flying beast to hurry.

The small group flew as fast as they could, but even their mounts eventually grew tired, and despite all their good coaxing, they flew slower and slower, forcing them to stop just before reaching their destination in Darkshire. The sun had already set when they landed at the flying point. Ro drank the last of Yael's viol and then disappeared wordlessly between the houses. Mara wanted to stop her, but Yael held her back.

"Let her go. Better she lets off steam now." After the warrior nodded in agreement, they took care of their completely exhausted flying mounts and then sought out the tavern "The Scarlet Raven". Since none of them could have slept for even a second, they saved the gold for a place to sleep. Instead, they sat down at a table in the taproom and ordered water and honey wine.

"So," Neeve finally turned to Yael after they had been drinking in silence for a while. "You and the king seem to know each other a little better." The priestess sighed softly, then nodded.

"He was quite a bit younger than he is now, and I wasn't much older than him when we met," she began to tell. "I was training my ranged combat technique, which unfortunately are not very good to this day. But at the time, I was in danger of failing an exam because of my disastrous technique. He happened to come by the training ground and eventually helped me improve over the next few weeks. I must say that at that time I was not very interested in the world outside the Cathedral of Light and Anduin never told me who he really was. We always met secretly for training and he told me that his father was not happy that he had chosen the path of a priest instead of a warrior, or that he wanted to travel to Pandaria without permission. To make a long story short, we quickly became friends and I was about to follow him to Pandaria, when one day an elder discovered us and I learned who Anduin really was. The end of the story was, he went to Pandaria alone, I passed my test, and we never really had contact with each other again."

"That's a shame, actually," Mara remarked after Yael finished, and Neeve nodded in agreement as well. "I had a bit of a feeling he would appreciate your friendship and support," she interjected. But before the priestess could reply anything else, Ro entered the inn. When the others saw her, they immediately realized that something was wrong.

"Black shadows are rising," the death knight began. "Darkness stretches its nimble fingers towards the light of the king. Even the evil that makes the land here unsafe senses it. We must go, right now."

Hastily, the other three jumped up from their chairs and together they hurried out.

"We need to borrow gryphons from the local gryphon master," Neeve announced as they ran to the flying point. "It would be irresponsible to fly with our mounts, they just haven't rested enough yet."

So, for a fee, the women borrowed a gryphon each from the gryphon mistress and flew off into the night, toward Surwich. They could call their own flying mounts back to them as soon as they had sufficiently recovered.

The last part of the flight seemed endless to them, although they had actually already completed most of the journey, yet the destination did not seem to be getting any closer.

The sun had been in the sky for several hours when they landed in Surwich. The ships of the royal navy and their crews could be seen in the harbor, but there was no sign of the king and the soldiers far and wide. No sooner had the women landed than the mayor of the village, Carl Connisport, approached them.

"Where is the king?" wanted Mara to know immediately. The Worgen looked at her, completely irritated.

"An SI:7 agent came with a message that you have located the aggressor's hideout just through the Dark Portal," he explained. "According to the message, you were going to have a mage teleport you directly there. The king and his soldiers left shortly after. It was just after midnight."

"Damn it," Neeve cursed. "One thing about this Forsaken, he really isn't stupid."

"All that remains is for us to try to catch up with them," Yael decided, as she summoned her horse with a spell. The others did the same and summoned their mounts. They bid a hasty farewell to the mayor, who wished them good luck, and rode off in the direction of the Dark Portal. Although the temperature in the Desolate Lands was rising steadily, they were moving quickly, but the king and his troops also seemed to be moving at a decent pace, because when the small group reached the portal to Outland, they still hadn't caught up with them. So they had no choice but to cross through the portal as well, always hoping to avoid the worst. 


	6. Chapter 6

But as they arrived on the other side of the portal, on the stair of destiny to Hellfire Peninsula, they could see that they were already too late. In what should have been a neutral place, the corpses of Alliance and Horde members who had guarded this side of the portal together lay everywhere. The Forsaken had killed them so they couldn't prevent their ambush. At the bottom of the steps, a fierce battle had broken out between the royal troops and those of the Forsaken. The warlock Tye Dred was standing on a small hill from where he was assisting his people with his magic.

Mara and Neeve did not think twice and rushed to support the royal troops. As they ran, the warrior, briefly clashing her sword and shield, activated her magical warding that protected her body, while the huntress summoned her snow leopard, Thancred, to fight at her side. Yael ran as well, Ro right beside her. The priestess's eyes scanned the tumult of battle, searching for the king. Ro spotted him first, and called Yael's attention to him. Anduin was fighting side by side with his soldiers, but the priestess was only reassured for a brief moment, for suddenly the king swayed and one of his soldiers was just able to support him as he went down. Ro and Yael didn't need to coordinate as they made their way toward him, the death knight ahead to clear the way for the priestess. Meanwhile, the soldier had brought the king out of the immediate thick of battle and was removing his helmet when Yael and Ro arrived at them. The young man had already lost his own helmet. Anduin did not appear to be injured at first glance, yet he looked unnaturally pale, and Yael and Ro could detect a strange green glow in his eyes. The priestess was already about to kneel down and use her healing abilities, but Ro held her back.

"The curse cannot be healed," she replied, as Yael looked at her uncomprehendingly. "And you know that, too. A curse dies with the one who cast it. The warlock must die if we are to save the king. Yael, you must help the fighters, there is no healer present."

The priestess nodded gravely.

"And what are you doing?" she wanted to know from the death knight.

"I will try to stop the curse as long as I can. The Scourge and I are old friends, after all," Ro replied, settling down next to Anduin.

With her heart pounding violently, Yael turned to watch the battle. Never before had she been in such a situation. So many lives depended on her. She was startled briefly when a Goul appeared to her right and a Gargoyle to her left.

"They will defend you as long as they can," she heard Ro's voice behind her and relaxed again.

Yael took her priest staff in both hands, held it in front of her, the lower end firmly on the dusty ground, closed her eyes and focused on the lives that needed her help. In her mind's eye, the fighters appeared in different, ever-changing colors, allowing the priestess to see who needed what help. Her healing magic wove itself into the image in fine, bright yellow threads. Thus she healed those who were injured, gave strength and courage to those who were at the end of their own strength, and a protective shield to those who no longer had their own. Along with this, she also sent out the message that killing the warlock was the top priority.

Ro, meanwhile, concentrated on stopping the curse that was about to turn the king of Stormwind into an undead servant for Sylvanas Windrunner. When she happened to glance at the lion's helmet, she discovered a glowing runic language inside, barely recognizable.

"The agent who accompanied us since Surwich had some just like them on his face when he collapsed dead after passing through the portal," explained the young soldier, who was still kneeling beside his king. Ro nodded grimly.

"This warlock knows his craft, I'll give him that," she replied. "Controlling someone else to carry out his orders so smoothly is quite an art."

The death knight hurriedly removed her gloves, as well as the king's right armor gauntlet.

"What is your name?" she asked the soldier meanwhile.

"Jonah Brandon," the latter replied.

"Will you protect the king with your life, Jonah?" she wanted to know, taking the king's hand in both of hers, then closing her eyes. Without the soldier, she and Anduin would now be defenseless. Resolutely, Jonah stood back up and stood in front of them, sword and shield ready to fight, his gaze fixed on the battlefield.

"I will defend him until my last breath," he replied in a firm voice.

Ro now focused all her power on stopping the curse, using her blood magic to make it focus on her for the time being.

"I apologize profusely for tainting you with my dark magic, your majesty," she murmured as her hands began to glow reddish. The greenish glow in the king's eyes diminished, but also appeared in Ro's reopened eyes. Anduin breathed in heavily and now seemed to be aware of his surroundings again. His eyes fixed on Ro, who was kneeling on the floor beside him.

"What..." he began, his eyes widening in surprise at the hollow sound of his voice.

"The curse of the undead," Ro explained, her voice by now having taken on the same tone. "The others are about to kill the warlock, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that you do not suffer as I have, your majesty."

A pang of panic came over the young king, but he was already too weakened, so the death knight had no problem keeping him in place.

"There is only one thing left to do" she said, "Hang on and hope that our friends are victorious."

The battle lasted for what felt like an eternity, and yet it was as if there was no progress. No matter how many Forsaken the two night elves and the royal soldiers killed, the warlock seemed unreachable.

"Damn it, this can't be happening," Mara cursed after finishing off another Forsaken. "How many are they? There has to be an end." Neeve, who was fighting beside her and looked just as damaged and battered as her friend, glanced briefly at the warlock standing triumphantly on his mound.

"If only I had a clear field of fire," she called out to the warrior, letting a shower of arrows rain down on some onrushing opponents. "I'd shoot that sneer off his face." Mara glanced briefly at the huntress as she finished off the next Forsaken. An idea formed inside her.

"I could catapult you into the air using my Berserk ability and shield, but we only have one chance, you have to hit him." Neeve nodded and a victorious smile played around her lips.

"Don't worry, he won't get back up." Mara took advantage of a brief moment not being attacked, dropped her sword and grabbed her shield with both hands. She held it so that it formed a kind of platform for Neeve. Then she ignited the berserker magic inside her, which gave her superhuman strength for a limited time. At that exact moment, the huntress leapt off the ground and onto the shield, which the warrior used to catapult her into the air.

It was really only a blink of an eye in which Neeve was on eye level with the warlock, but it was enough for her to strike him down with a rain of arrows. With a disbelieving look on his face, the Forsaken went down. Lithely Neeve landed next to Mara again.

When his troops realized what had happened, they sought their salvation in flight, dashing off in all directions. Many of them did not get very far, because the royal soldiers pursued them and killed all those they could get hold of.

Mara picked up her sword again and turned to Neeve.

"Let's play it safe," she suggested, and together with the huntress and her snow leopard, she ran for the hill.

Ro concentrated as best she could, but the sorcerer's magic was a very strong opponent that she could hardly keep in check, and the king's resistance was also growing weaker. Then the death knight remembered an old spirit summoning spell she had learned a long time ago. She could certainly use it for good. From deep within her, she summoned the last of her strength and called out to the young king's ancestors. Surely they would not abandon one of their own. And indeed, next to them a person began to materialize, who after a few moments turned out to be Anduin's grandfather. He knelt down next to them, grasped one of the king's hands, whereupon Ro let go of the other. He looked first at Ro and then at the young king. The last thing the death knight saw was the ghost starting to talk when Anduin looked up at him, but she couldn't understand what it was about because it wasn't meant for her ears. Slowly she fell backwards onto the stoney ground. Her gaze turned upward. A mixture of orange, red, and yellow tones streaked the sky.

"Hellfire Peninsula," Ro thought to herself. "What an irony."

When Mara and Neeve arrived at the mound, the warlock was lying on his back, badly hit, staring up at them. He would surely die soon, but the two night elves didn't want to wait that long. Mara drew her sword and cut off the Forsaken's head with it. It was over and his unholy magic was gone once and for all.

Without giving the corpse another glance, Neeve and Mara hurried to join their friends.

When Yael saw that her healing abilities were no longer needed, she opened her eyes. Around her lay several slain Forsaken, and the priestess sent silent thanks to Ro for the "protection" that had now disappeared. The remaining Forsaken had either fled or were dead, and the royal troops were gathering again at the portal, which meant that the warlock was no longer alive. Relieved, Yael turned to where she had last seen the king. Anduin was kneeling beside Ro, who was lying on the ground, and the young soldier was also still there. When the priestess's gaze met the king's, he shook his head sadly. Yael drew in her breath sharply and tears filled her eyes, she ran the short distance to the small group and looked with dismay at the death knight lying on the ground, her empty eyes turned to the sky. Neeve and Mara now arrived as well, looking at Ro with equal sorrow. Anduin closed the death knight's eyes with one hand, then, with the soldier's help, stood up.

"I owe you my life," the king thanked the remaining three women. He still looked a bit shaken up, but seemed to recover quickly. "For that, I cannot thank you enough. It fills me all the more with sadness that Ro fell victim to this dastardly attack. She, just like all the others who fell today, will be buried with full honors."

A light breeze blew through her hair. She stood in a wheat field and looked toward the farmhouse that belonged to it, from which a woman now stepped out with a small boy in her arms. They both looked at each other and the woman waved.

"Rosaline, come in, dinner is ready!" she called.

Ro closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, but just as she was about to start moving, she was caught and carried away by a sudden darkness in which she eventually sank.

A few days after returning to Stormwind. The prison of the city was not a place where one liked to stay. The dark and cold catacombs beneath Stormwind had few visitors, and those who did not come voluntarily rarely saw daylight again.

The person who entered this inhospitable place knew exactly where he was going and headed for a well-secured cell whose location was known only to a few.

"Oh, what a distinguished visitor," a scornful voice sounded from inside the cell as the person stopped at a safe distance in front of the bars. "To what do I owe this honor?" The other person sighed and flipped his hood back.

"It's for your own good. Until we figure out how to help you."

The person in the cell laughed out loud and stepped up to the bars so they could be seen better. Iron shackles engraved with magical characters were wrapped around her wrists, preventing any magic or transformation.

"What a great liar you are, little lion!" she countered with a smile. "Let everyone think I'm dead and buried, a hero of the Alliance. Pah!"

"It would only cause them unnecessary pain to see you like this, Ro," Anduin replied . The Death Knight's blue eyes glowed in the darkness of the cell. "You killed Jonah, the soldier who helped us, you may remember him. On the way back to Stormwind. And other good men. You tried to kill me, but I was forewarned, and besides, you had taken care of it yourself." With that, he pushed up the right sleeve of his cloak. A bright red rune was clearly visible on the inside of the forearm. Ro winced barely noticeably.

"With this, both of our hands are tied. You can't kill me, and I can't kill you without losing our own lives afterward." Slowly he lowered his arm again and the sleeve slid back into place.

"A clever, if foolish, move on my part." Ro began, wrapping her fingers around the bars. "I could undo this mess."

The young king shook his head.

"Better it stays the way it is for now. That way neither of us will be tempted to do anything stupid." With that, he pushed the hood back over his head and disappeared.

End of Part one


End file.
